War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Merkava Mk.4B

2024-11-03T14:28:46Z

U95795628: "Slower reload speed than its NATO counterparts". As of now the merkava mk.4b reload has been buffed

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_merkava_mk_4b
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

Following the Merkava Mk.3 design and its improvements, the Merkava entered its fourth generation iteration by upgrading most aspects of the tank, particularly in the crew's ability to observe and react to changing scenarios outside the tank. The Merkava Mk.4 began development in the late 1990s, and featured component upgrades: a new fire-control system and hunter-killer system for the commander and gunner, the loader had access to a new 10-round revolving magazine, modular composite armour was added on all sides, and a more powerful engine was installed. However, the biggest change was the upgrade to the electronic systems within the tank. Computerization allowed each crew station to have screens for information management and observation. The commander had access to a battle management system that allowed communication of information across different units. This new Merkava Mk.4B entered service in 2004 and slowly became the primary main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces, gradually replacing the older Mk.2 and Mk.3 in service.

Introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]], the Merkava Mk.4B is one of the most recent subvariants of the Merkava main battle tank. With up to 800-1,200 mm of protection on the turret front with its non-explosive reactive armour (NERA), it can effectively resist even hits from ATGMs. Overall, the Merkava Mk.4B is well protected against HEAT warheads. However, despite engine improvements, the Merkava Mk.4B becomes progressively heavier, reducing its mobility in comparison to main battle tanks from other nations.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

The Merkava is not a small tank by any metric, being very wide and tall. This makes you a big target for enemies.

The Merkava is strongly protected against HEAT with up to 800-1,200 mm of protection on the turret front, and the UFP having enough protection with its NERA and engine and transmission blocks to stop a Kornet in its tracks.

However, KE protection may be somewhat lacking with average KE protection on the turret front averaging about 450-550mm of KE protection on the turret front and about 350-450mm of protection on the UFP (engine and transmission protection included) which for top tier is not quite adequate.

The Merkava also features a unique armour layout being the only tank aside from the Strv 122B PLSS to fit NERA not only on front and side of the turret, but also the front and side of the hull too. it is also the only tank to fit NERA on its roof which historically was to defend from roof fired RPGs.

All in all, the Merkava's armour is somewhat lacking in some areas but can more then compensate in others.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (74°) ''Upper plate'' 50 mm (39-58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50 mm ''Top'' 50 mm ''Bottom'' || 30 mm (1-45°) || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 40-230 mm (9-62°) ''Turret front'' 197 mm (1°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 38 mm (17°) || 20 mm (1°) || 25-45 mm
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Composite armour !! Frontal effective protection !! Sides
|-
| Hull || '''Upper glacis:''' 300-450 mm ''Kinetic'' / 1,050-1,300 mm ''Chemical'' (engine block included) '''Lower glacis:''' 180-330 mm ''Kinetic'' / 250-400 mm ''Chemical'' (engine block included) || '''Side:''' 50-228 mm ''Kinetic'' / 320-475 mm ''Chemical''
|-
|Turret || '''Turret cheeks:''' 380-620 mm ''Kinetic'' / 920-1,100 mm ''Chemical'' '''Turret sides''' 240-410 mm ''Kinetic'' / 600-1,120 mm ''Chemical''
|
|}
'''Notes:'''



=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,325|rbMinHp=1,327}}The mobility of the Merkava is about average for an MBT, easily keeping pass with other MBT's thanks to its improved engine over the Merkava Mk.3.

The Merkava may feel quite snappy at low speeds due to its high torque and good gear ratios, it also has neutral steering which makes urban combat much easier.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|IMI MG251 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[IMI MG251 (120 mm)|120 mm IMI MG251]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 32.4 || 44.8 || 54.4 || 60.2 || 64.0 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.2 || 23.8 || 28.9 || 32.0 || 34.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:IMI MG251 (120 mm)/Ammunition|M325, M339, M322, M338}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''46''' || 30 ''(+16)'' || 13 ''(+33)'' || 11 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+45)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 575 || - || -
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,800 (200) || 960 || -5°/+50° || -60°/+120°
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 960 || - || -
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Merkava Merkava performs amazingly at range and can still hold its own in a brawl. It plays somewhat similarly to previous Merkavas requiring a more laid back approach in order to well.

The Merkava can perform somewhat well in urban combat thanks to its great reaction speed and decent mobility forwards and backwards. However, keep in mind other tanks such as the T-72B3 and T-80BVM will easily outclass you in a brawl so pick your targets wisely.

The Merkava has arguably some of the best optics for an MBT in-game due to the commanders sight being very high up and with great zoom at 14x max, and great thermals. this will allow you to play as a sniper on long range maps, being able to acquire and pick off targets with ease as you can play ridges and hills to your advantage.

Also make sure to keep close attention to your Laser Warning System (LWS) and the direction it is alerting you to. As this will alert you of drones, helicopters and tanks, therefore giving you time to throw smoke and take cover from an ATGM or find the direction of a tank lasing you so you can return fire. A good way to tell if its a either a tank or a helicopter/drone locking you is that helicopter and drone locks will always continuously lock you whereas a tank may only give a short 1-2 seconds alert.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has access to 2nd generation thermals for both the gunner and commander
* Excellent mobility, even in reverse
* Great and competitive ammo selection
* LWS gives great protection against tanks, helicopters, and drones alike

'''Cons:'''

* Very vulnerable to most attacks due to a noticeable lack of composite armour or ERA
* Quite big and can be a more appealing target then other tanks

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_merkava_mk_4b Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Merkava (Family)]]
** [[Merkava Mk.4M]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7607-development-merkava-mk-4b-mk-4m-the-chariots-of-modern-warfare-en|[Devblog] Merkava Mk.4B & Mk.4M: The chariots of modern warfare]]

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

AN-M56 (4,000 lb)

2023-09-19T18:10:19Z

U95795628: /* Vehicles equipped with this weapon */

[[File:AN-M56 .jpg|thumb|The 4000 lb bomb from the B29A-BN]]
== Description ==


The '''AN-M65 4,000 lb bomb''' is a general-purpose, air-dropped bomb for the United States. It is one of the largest ordnance available to be dropped by the United States, and can be effective against concentration of enemy ground targets and bases.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|b-29}}
* {{Specs-Link|a2d}}

== General info ==

''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the bomb.''

=== Effective damage ===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 4,368.8 lbs (1981.66 kg)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 1,599.4 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 1,887.29 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 216 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 54 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 292 m
|-
|}

Explosive type: Tritonal (Tritonal is a mixture of 80% TNT and 20% aluminium powder)

=== Comparison with analogues ===


Due to the destructive power, this bomb can be used to destroy tanks (light, medium, heavy), ships and base bombing.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Massive explosive mass means precision is not needed
* 54 m lethal radius
* Fragment dispersion radius is large enough to defeat un-armoured targets from way beyond the lethal range for armoured targets

'''Cons:'''

* Low altitude bombing is almost impossible due to the explosion being enough to destroy the B-29A-BN if it is too close (though applying a fuse can help, it would allow the target to potentially escape)
* Without proper communication, teammates are at high risk of also being destroyed by the bomb

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==


[[File:4000lb bomb.jpg|thumb|A more detailed description of this Bump.]]

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

AN-M56 (4,000 lb)

2023-09-19T18:08:47Z

U95795628: changed: vehicles equipped with this weapon: a2d-1

[[File:AN-M56 .jpg|thumb|The 4000 lb bomb from the B29A-BN]]
== Description ==


The '''AN-M65 4,000 lb bomb''' is a general-purpose, air-dropped bomb for the United States. It is one of the largest ordnance available to be dropped by the United States, and can be effective against concentration of enemy ground targets and bases.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|b-29}}
* {{Specs-Link|a2d-1}}

== General info ==

''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the bomb.''

=== Effective damage ===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Bomb characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 4,368.8 lbs (1981.66 kg)
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 1,599.4 kg
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Tritonal
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 1,887.29 kg
|-
| '''HE max penetration''' || 216 mm
|-
| '''Armour destruction radius''' || 54 m
|-
| '''Fragment dispersion radius''' || 292 m
|-
|}

Explosive type: Tritonal (Tritonal is a mixture of 80% TNT and 20% aluminium powder)

=== Comparison with analogues ===


Due to the destructive power, this bomb can be used to destroy tanks (light, medium, heavy), ships and base bombing.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Massive explosive mass means precision is not needed
* 54 m lethal radius
* Fragment dispersion radius is large enough to defeat un-armoured targets from way beyond the lethal range for armoured targets

'''Cons:'''

* Low altitude bombing is almost impossible due to the explosion being enough to destroy the B-29A-BN if it is too close (though applying a fuse can help, it would allow the target to potentially escape)
* Without proper communication, teammates are at high risk of also being destroyed by the bomb

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==


[[File:4000lb bomb.jpg|thumb|A more detailed description of this Bump.]]

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]